Serenity Recap

MacGyver returns home from a long, tiring mission only to discover Pete
waiting for him with yet another assignment. When MacGyver refuses, Pete pushes
the matter, angering his friend. MacGyver goes inside only to discover phone
messages from Jack Dalton asking MacGyver to invest in a map, and Penny Parker
wanting him to hear her perform her song at a Wild West show. MacGyver erases
them and puts in a tape of Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, then dozes off
in front of the TV.

MacGyver dreams that he's a Civil War veteran heading west to find peace and
quiet in the town of Serenity. He travels with the driver, a Swiss immigrant
named Emmenthaler. Emmenthaler drops him off on the town outskirts and MacGyver
gives him his gun, saying he doesn't plan to shoot it ever again. In return
Emmenthaler gives him a Swiss Army knife and drives away.

MacGyver stops at the Red Dog Saloon and orders a meal and a bottle of milk.
The two local thugs, Wilt and Milt Bozer, start harassing him. The saloon girl,
Penny Parker, tries to defend MacGyver. The resident gambler, Andrew Jackson
Dalton, intervenes but the Bozers try to force MacGyver to drink alcohol with a
spider in it. MacGyver borrows Dalton's cigar, throws it down Wilt's pants, and
throws the drink in Milt's face. The marshal and bartender, Wyatt, finally
intervenes and kicks the Bozers out.

Dalton offers his new friend the deed to the Big Springs Ranch and MacGyver,
wanting to buy some land and settle down, soon agrees. They go out to see the
ranch and Penny tags along. At the ranch, MacGyver and the others meet former
owner Dave Nye's remaining two employees, Billy Colton and Lee Sing. When Lee
Sing says the ranch is a dangerous place, Dalton quickly overrides his concerns.
However, land baron Pete Thornton arrives with his men, including the Bozer
brothers. Thornton insists that Nye agreed to sell the land to him but Dalton
points out that he won it in a poker game and Nye never sold. Thornton,
unimpressed, insists he needs the land so he has water for his ranch. Thornton
tries to provoke the unarmed MacGyver, who finally punches him. When the Bozers
go for their gun, Billy fires a warning shot and orders them to drop their guns
and get off MacGyver's land. Thornton and the others agree but the land baron
warns that he'll be back.

Back in Serenity, Thornton sends a telegraph to hire a professional gunfighter:
Murdoc. The killer arrives in town by train, and the Bozers are unimpressed.
Murdoc shoots a sign down on them and asks Thornton what he wants done. The
land baron tells him to get MacGyver off the land but not to kill him.

MacGyver settles in at the ranch and soon realizes that Billy is a lot smarter
than his fake accent indicates. Billy explains that he worked as a
schoolteacher slave in Alabama, forged release papers, and moved west to create
a new identity for himself. He continues acting ignorant because no matter what
the law says about emancipation, some people are still prejudiced. MacGyver
tells him that he has to have some faith and that anybody can reinvent
themselves.

MacGyver rides into town and Dalton and Penny warn him about Murdoc. MacGyver
decides to resolve things with Thornton peacefully and goes to see him.
Meanwhile, Murdoc rides out to the ranch and orders Billy to tell him where
MacGyver is. When Billy refuses, Murdoc casually guns him down. He tells Lee
Sing to tell MacGyver that he was there and rides away. MacGyver arrives and
can only cradle his dead friend in his arms.

Murdoc reports to Thornton at the barber shop where the latter is getting a shave.
Thornton tells him he didn't want any killing and tells Murdoc to leave town.
Murdoc refuses to have it said that he failed at a mission. He starts to draw
on Thornton, who has a hidden gun ready. Murdoc leaves but says that it isn't
the end of the matter. As the land baron leaves, the Bozers wonder why he's
dropping the matter but Thornton insists that even though he was shamed, it isn't
worth a man's life. He rides out to talk to MacGyver as the veteran buries
Billy. Thornton apologizes and offers to pay any fair price, but MacGyver says
he isn't interested in selling his land, but living on it. However, he offers
to give Thornton free access to the water as long as he pays the drilling costs.
Thornton is pleased to agree and insists on going with MacGyver as he rides
into town to bring Murdoc to justice.

Meanwhile, Murdoc recruits the Bozer brothers, offering them revenge on
MacGyver for his humiliating them earlier. They go to the saloon, capture
Penny, and tell Dalton to tell MacGyver that they're waiting. Dalton rides out
to warn them while the Bozers set up an ambush. Wilt fires early, warning the
three men. MacGyver goes on ahead to get Murdoc and leaves the Bozers to
Thornton and Dalton, who easily take care of them. MacGyver spots Murdoc on a
balcony and scales the roof to come up behind him. However, he discovers that
Murdoc has put a black coat and hat on Penny and tied her to the balcony. The
killer comes up behind MacGyver and shoots him in the heart, sending him
tumbling to the street below.

As Murdoc rides off, Thornton, Dalton, and Penny go to MacGyver's body.
MacGyver coughs and sits up: the Swiss Army knife in his breast pocket
deflected the bullet, leaving a noticeable dent. They watch Murdoc leave and
Thornton promises that they'll get the killer one day.

MacGyver wakes up as Pete pours himself some water. MacGyver's friend
apologizes, saying that he was pushing too hard to impress the board. MacGyver
tries to explain what he was dreaming about. Pete points out there's an antique
Swiss Army knife lying on the floor: a knife with a indentation left by a
bullet.